berry, almond & baileys sorbet

And so the journey of elimination continues.

I've read a lot about people who start off simply with a gluten intolerance, but who quickly find out they they also have some intolerance to dairy. I will be shattered if this proves true for me, as goodness me I love dairy, but for now, I am reducing my dairy intake to see if has any impact.

Every single day I crave a large glass of milk. At around 3 in the afternoon I have to try aversion tactics to get myself to not down a litre of milk straight up!! And then again after dinner, all I want is a big bowl of icecream. It can be plain or with fruit (read: caramel topping) but it is what I yearn for every single night. The only dairy I don't eat is yoghurt, and a few types of cheese that gives me migraines. So if I find out that I am dairy intolerant, I will cry. Big crocodile tears.

But, while I try out a month of reduced dairy, I thought I should embrace it as much as I could. So, I decided the best way to embrace a post-dinner-icecream-free-existence was to discover the joys of sorbet. I found a heap of recipes that looked appealing, but all of them had instructions stating "Pour into your icecream maker and use as per manufacturer's instructions", which is a problem, as I do not have an icecream maker (I know, gasp).

And so I winged it. And it was actually really good. It wasn't completely normal sorbet in that I added some dairy-like ingredients (the almond milk and baileys), but it was heavily fruity and icy, and totally delicious.

I've made two different flavours of sorbet already this week, both delicious, but I think the mango one contributed to the shocking migraine I had last night, so I won't be repeating that batch. Although it was seriously good too, so if you have no aversions to coconut, make sure you try it out!

Berry, Almond and Baileys Sorbet ingredients

3 cups of mixed berries (I had frozen ones on hand, so just used them after they had partially thawed)

1 cup water

3/4 cup of raw (demerra) sugar

1 cup almond milk

2 T baileys

Method:

1. Bring the water and sugar to the boil in a saucepan, and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occassionally to ensure the sugar dissolves. Leave to cool.

2. Blend your berries (or fruit of any choosing) until they are quite liquidy

3. Add the almond milk and baileys to the fruit and blend again until well combined. The baileys (or any alcohol) that you add lowers the freezing point of the sorbet, which means it can be in the freezer for longer without turning to a big pile of rock hard ice. The almond milk also helps keep the sorbet a little creamier, which appeals to my faux icecream desires!

4. When the sugar syrup is cool, add to the fruit mix and blend again.

5. Pour into a dish and place in the freezer.

6. Every hour or so stir the sorbet as it begins to freeze. Pull the frozen edges towards the centre and repeat several times (which makes it not the best dessert to make if you have to be out of the house all day!).

7. When its quite solid, place it back in the food processor and blend again until smooth. This step really makes a difference and makes the sorbet far creamier and less icy.

8. Re-freeze until you need it, but it is best on the night you've made it, so be sure to tuck in straight away!!!

This batch was quite icy compared to the mango one I made the other night, but it didn't effect the flavour at all.  I would think that if you used fresh berries it would reduce this issue a little, but, having never ordered a sorbet in my life, I don't really have anything to compare it to! It was yummy and sweet and the perfect post-dinner treat. Well, perfect might be a stretch, but it was a darn good gluten & dairy free treat anyway!!